Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lasher

Government Intervention in Economy

Govt. Intervention in Personal

Matters

FOR AGAINST

AGAINST

FOR

LIBERALS

CONSERVATIVES

LIBERTARIANS

POPULISTS

Political Parties

1) Definitions

2) Roles of political parties

3) Why two parties?

4) History of US political parties

US Political Parties

Political parties are NOT mentioned in the U.S. Constitution

Founders were hopeful that we would avoid political parties

US Political Parties: Definition

Political party is a broadly-based coalition which attempts to gain control of the government by winning elections

Focus is on political parties in democracies, especially the United States

Political Parties in non-democracies

The Communist Party in China shares some of these characteristics

Big difference is lack of competitive elections

Roles of US Political Parties

1) Recruit and select candidates

2) Provide public policy alternatives

3) Organize government

4) Channel conflict

Recruit and Select Candidates

American parties locate and help choose candidates for all offices

There was a time when each party picked candidates in “smoked-filled” rooms

Parties still do some of that, but mostly candidates run within primaries (intra-party elections)

Recruit and Select Candidates

Parties have more influence at state and local level

At the core, parties provide labels for relatively uninformed voters

Provide Public Policy Alternatives

Democrats and Republicans offer different types of policy solutions to various national problems

Democrats propose more liberal policies; Republicans propose more conservative policies

Provide Public Policy Alternatives

Legislation is much more than just half and half compromise between the two parties

Democrats may have two or three versions of a bill and same for Republicans

Provide Public Policy Alternatives

Every four years, both parties create “platforms” that summarize the issue positions of their party’s presidential candidate

Organize Government

House and Senate leadership and committees are divided by party (and party strength)

House: Republican Speaker and Republican majorities on all committees

Organize Government

President Obama appoints mostly Democrats to serve in the Executive Branch departments (and President Bush appointed mostly Republicans)

Organize Government

While SC Justices do not have formal party affiliations, they can be identified as liberal, moderate or conservative

Democratic presidents will nominate more liberal judges and Republicans will nominate more conservative judges

“Channeling” Conflict

American parties both create and limit conflict

They create the “parameters” of the political debate

Democrats and Republicans agree on many policy fundamentals, while arguing policy details

“Channeling” Conflict

Health Care Policy

National Health Care

Pay OwnHealth Care

Why Two US Political Parties?

1) North-South differences

2) Single member district plurality (SMDP) electoral system

3) “Capitalist politics”

4) Moderate American public

5) Election laws biased toward existing parties

6) Political Socialization

North-South Differences

From 1860-1960 the “Solid South” was solidly Democratic

The Republicans dominated the North and West (although not quite as much)

This is NOT the case today, with much of the South becoming Republican

Single Member District Plurality (SMDP) Electoral System

Single Member District Plurality (SMDP) Electoral System

Seven SC districts; 435 House districts nationally

SMDP systems are very likely to create two large parties fighting for the majority/plurality

New Gamecock Party wins about 20% of the vote in each district

How many seats do they win with their 20% ? NONE

Single Member District Plurality (SMDP) Electoral System

District One Republican 42%Democrat 38%Gamecock 20%

District Two Republican 52%Democrat 28%Gamecock 20%

District Three Republican 35%Democrat 45%Gamecock 20%

Single Member District Plurality (SMDP) Electoral System

SMDP systems make it difficult for new parties to emerge and survive

Because they rarely win elections and eventually disappear (or fall into being irrelevant)

Proportional representation (PR) systems make it easier for third and fourth parties to be created and survive

Proportional Representation (PR) Electoral System

SC Republicans 57% 4 seatsState-wide

Democrats 28% 2 seats

Gamecock 15% 1 seat

National 15% 65 seatsGamecock

“Capitalist Politics”

Two main political parties are generally supportive of the capitalist economic system

Parties of the “far left” (socialist and communist) are almost unknown in the US

Democrats and Republicans argue about the nature of American capitalism

Moderate American Public

Americans also reject parties of the far right (neo-fascist parties)

As the wealthiest country in the world, it is understandable that MOST Americans are fairly supportive of the “status quo”

Are the American people becoming less moderate?

Biased Election Laws

Election laws are written in legislatures in 50 states controlled by either of the two major parties

Democrats and Republicans are not going to create election laws that make it EASY for a competitive third party to be born and survive

Political Socialization

We grow up learning that there are basically two political parties in the United States

We have had the same two political parties since 1860s

Democrats and Republicans is what “we expect”

History of US Political Parties

1) 1790s-1828 Democ-Republicans vs. Federalists

2) 1828-1860 Democrats vs. Whigs

3) 1860-1896 Democrats = Republicans

4) 1896-1932 Republicans > Democrats

5) 1932-1980 Democrats > Republicans

6) 1980 – now Democrats = Republicans (???)